PacSci Perspectives

Celebrating Women In Stem At Science In The City

Pacific Science Center believes that science is for everyone, and is on a mission to enable access for all by offering a variety of opportunities for people of all backgrounds and financial, social, physical, and intellectual abilities to ignite their curiosity.

On February 11, we will celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, a holiday recognized since 2015 after the United Nations passed a resolution to celebrate women’s contributions to the field. While the number of women in STEM has increased greatly over the years, there is still a gender gap. You can learn more about the holiday here.

We hope you’ll celebrate this day and then join us for a very special Science in the City on February 20 for a conversation with Dr. Sherrill Slichter as she shares stories of her pioneering adventures as a physician-scientist. Dr. Slichter is currently the Director of Platelet Transfusion Research for Bloodworks Northwest and Professor of Medicine and Hematology at the University of Washington. She has made great strides throughout her career, however breaking into the field wasn’t without obstacles.

Growing up as a woman in the 1950s, Dr. Slichter was plagued with the same question over and over as she pursued a medical career: “are you sure you’re in the right place?” She was asked this in her high school science lab, engineering and math courses in college, in medical school and in hospitals. She was in the right place, and because of her persistence, her work has helped thousands of lives.

Dr. Slichter’s career spans more than 50 years, and she is credited with ultimately making bone marrow transplants possible and for changing medical science around the world. Each year 20,000 patients receive bone marrow transplants to treat leukemia, lymphoma and other diseases, thanks to Dr. Slichter’s work in platelets and the clotting of blood cells. On February 20, we’ll dive into Dr. Slichter’s career and the Path of Persistence that brought her to where she is today.

Science in the City is our evening lecture program. Dr. Slichter’s talk will take place on Tuesday, February 20 at 7 p.m. in our PACCAR Theater. Learn more and purchase your tickets here.